{This is a collaborative post containing gifted items and some other personal recommendations}
Hello to you on this April Monday! I am in the mood for organising as Dean is away on a photo shoot and spring is finally here. As much as I adore our small cottage bungalow, we have the eternal problem of a lack of storage space here (the plans to convert the attic are a far off dream), our bedroom is too small for a wardrobe or any large furniture and the other two smaller bedrooms are given over to working from home. So, the storage of our clothing is barely there and very limited.
For our wardrobe, we share a small and crowded hanging space and one rack of overfilled drawers. Yes, I have to share – with him! My quest to organise and stop the pile of clothes that seem to grow into a mountain on our bedroom floor (due to lack of space and organisation) has been helped along by the lovely peeps at Ziito based in Copenhagen, who got in touch about their industrial clothes rails for modern homes.
Having worn basically the same ten items of cosy clothing for the whole of winter, I am reorganising my clothes and trying to find ways to incorporate more of my wardrobe into each season. Although I don’t have an outrageous amount of clothes, I am by no means a minimalist either and like most people I find myself wearing only a third (if that) of the clothes, I own.
Working from our home studio most days, I don’t need a huge array of outfits but I also don’t wish to fall into lazy habits and do want to feel good whilst working here every day. I have had dreams of a minimal capsule wardrobe for forever and with some help from Jessica Rose Williams and her fun and intuitive guide, I have sorted through my clothes and fashion aspirations. But with a diverse lifestyle, a serious gardening habit, sometimes needing to attend events and being indoorsy/outdoorsy I need to cover a few too many bases to be overly strict with myself.
I regularly pare back and donate or rehome any unneeded items and have no problems saying goodbye to things that although lovely, I know I will not wear. I have a few sentimental pieces and a couple of special occasion things, but almost everything else is good to be in the rotation.
I am hoping to get there slowly, but until then – I have a plan to organise my clothes using Jessica’s advice – into a series of capsule wardrobes that would mean I am getting more out of my wardrobe on a regular basis. Whilst also not having to rummage through a badly lit corner of a once walk-in wardrobe – that is now storage for more pressing things or a huge pile of clothes left on the floor.
Available in a whole range of finishes and configurations, (images above by Olgi & Simone) I went for the modest ‘Ziito Roll‘ in dark metal – a classic clothing rack which can be rolled or static with the brakes clicked on. It is only 50cm in length so I can select my mix and match wardrobe for the week and keep it in our bedroom or roll it away into another room when not in use. This shorter width also means I can store it side or front facing, depending on my mood.
This compact little clothes rail is sturdy, utilitarian, ‘vintage industrial’ enough to fit in with our decor and can hold the perfect amount of interchangeable items of clothing for outfits that I might need throughout a week. Seeing my clothes like this makes them exciting again and I realise now I actually seem to have a happy neutral palette of greys, charcoals, whites and blues. This should also help my shape spending habits and really help me see what I have too much of and what (if anything) is missing from my wardrobe.
The ‘Roll’ is also the perfect thing to hand over to guests to use temporarily when they are here to stay (don’t even ask about the sleeping arrangements!). I actually get a bit of a ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ or ‘Vogue’ fashion rail kick when I am wheeling it up and down the hallway or in and out of rooms. Except for the clothing that sways about is a little less extravagant – no feathers or sequin silk gowns here. it also doubles up as a brilliant coat rack if we are ever entertaining.
If you feel like you’d like to look deeper into your wardrobe style or want to pare back, as mentioned earlier – I highly recommend Jessica’s workbook it is a really fun way to investigate your style and the functions your wardrobe needs to fulfil. And if you are after any special items to add to your wardrobe here are my favourite ethical and slow fashion brands – Nadinoo, Beaumont Organic, Ovate, Thought, People Tree, Gather & See, Green Fibres, Wild Flora Clothing, Will’s Vegan Shoe Store, Ninety Percent. Happy organising! xxx
